Legacy
by Katia Nusakan
Summary: A story written for my fun. The beginning is a little odd, but I wanted to publish. Yamato 2199 (and later maybe 2202 some elements). Begins between episode 24 (and Ark of the stars) and 25. Contains probably a few mistakes (I hope I did not) Helped and corrected by dtill359. A big thank-you. :)
1. Chapter 1

Voices.

Light. Bright light.

She couldn't see anything.

Someone lifted her out of her plane. She thought to resist but was too weak. A blurry face leaned over her, and she could just make out a hard frown and brows knit in worry.

"Daijōbudesuka?" (Are you okay?)

 _Tadashi…?_ A young man's face came into focus, but it wasn't her friend.

"Anata wa watashi o rikai shite imasu ka?" (Do you understand me?) he said.

 _Japanese. Sasori spoke Japanese – so did Tadashi._ She struggled to look at the plane – to find Tadashi.

''Īe,'' he protested. ''Īe, miteinai dakedesu." (No. No, don't look.)

She froze. Tadashi still sat in the pilot's seat, his neck twisted at an unnatural angle.

Tears wouldn't come; her throat went dry, and she couldn't scream. The last thing she remembered before she woke up was Tadashi giving her a sad smile – like he knew this would happen.

"Kanojo o tsuredasu," (Take her out) the young man ordered and handed her off to someone else.

Hours passed in a fog as someone helped her to a medical ward. Strangers gathered nearby, but she still couldn't understand most of what they said.

A woman helped her out of her spacesuit and another offered her some food, which she took. A nurse gave her a quick exam before she rushed to Tadashi's bedside accompanied by a short, stocky old man wearing glasses. The doctor and nurse moved Tadashi, and she couldn't see him anymore.

The curtain rustled, and a black-haired woman in a blue uniform stepped in and offered a greeting in Japanese.

She struggled to reply. "Watashi wa… dokodesu ka?" (Where… am I?)

The woman smiled at her. "Watashitachiha _Yamato_ ni iru." (We are on the _Yamato_.)

She gathered "watashi" meant "we" and "ni iru" was something like "to be," but "Yamato" …? She heard the word used before and translated "nationalism," but that didn't make sense this time. _Wait…_ Yamato! _A legendary battleship – just like Yattaran's model_. _This must be a ship named after it, and the crew must be from Japan._ She stared at the woman – an officer by the looks of the markings on her sleeve, but she couldn't tell her precise rank. "Anata no namae wa nandesuka?" (What is your name?) she asked.

"Watashinonamaeha Niimi Kaorudesu," (My name is Kaoru Niimi) the woman replied. Behind her glasses shone clear, blue eyes.

 _Which part of that was her name…?_ She tried to decipher it again, but still couldn't figure it out. "Sumimasen," (I'm sorry) she said carefully. "Watashi wa tadashiku nihongo o hanasemasen." (I don't speak Japanese well.) Sasori taught her that sentence as a joke. She smiled at the memory. _Oh, the irony…_

"You can call me Kaoru," the woman said in perfect English with a hint of annoyance. "So, you're an Earthling?"

"Of course," she replied, pretending astonishment at the suggestion of aliens. _Don't I look human to you? What do you know anyway? I grew up on Earth, and it's my home._ She resisted the urge to shiver at the thought of Kaoru discovering the truth about her.

"And what about you? What's your name?" Kaoru asked.

"Oh… I… I don't remember…" She stared at the pristine floor. _Was that convincing enough?_ She sneaked a glance up at Kaoru. _Is she pretending to believe me? Is she psychic?_

Kaoru's interlocutor chirped. "Looks like the crew decided on a name for you. Doctor Sado wrote 'Maria' in your file, but the consensus is Kazuko."

"Kazuko," she repeated.

"Family," Kaoru offered the translation with a blank expression.

"It is a pretty name," Kazuko replied.

"Yes, it is." Kaoru's voice softened.

"You know, I think it would be easier if you could call me when you need me." Kazuko eyed Kaoru's interlocutor.

The device blinked, and anger flashed across Kaoru's face. "What are you – really? What were you doing out here – the both of you – and how did you get here in that plane?"

"Where are we?" Kazuko shrank away from Kaoru's suspicious face.

"Near the Milky Way." Kaoru narrowed her eyes.

"When?"

"November."

"No –" Kazuko shook her head. "I mean, what _year_ is it?"

Kaoru stared, but her anger faded a little. "2199"

Kazuko sat stunned. _Almost_ _eight hundred years ago…_


	2. Chapter 2

"Kazuko? You all right?" Kaoru took two steps toward her.

 _My home… I–I'll never see it again…_ Kazuko sat stunned.

"What's wrong?" Kaoru insisted.

"I…" Kazuko whispered. "I'm… an Earthling. I swear I am."

Kaoru laid a comforting hand on Kazuko's arm, her anger gone. "It's okay. You can go home soon; I'll do everything I can to help you."

Kazuko wrapped herself in trembling arms.

"Are you cold?" Kaoru said. "Your skin is freezing."

"No. I'm fine."

"Can you tell me where you were born?" Kaoru leaned against the table Kazuko sat on.

"Tokyo," she whispered. "I was born in Tokyo."

"So, you were born Japanese, but you can't understand us?" Kaoru crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at her. Then her eyes sparked in understanding. "Exactly _when_ were you born?"

Kazuko took a deep breath. "May 11, 2961… I'm nineteen."

Kaoru's interlocutor caught her eye, and she stared at it. "I… think we're done here for now. Please, follow me." She led Kazuko to a small room at the back of the medical ward. "Wait here. I'll be back soon."

As Kaoru left, Kazuko heard the distinct click of an engaged lock.

The room was small, empty except for a table and three plain chairs—no bed or washroom.

 _I hope I'm not stuck here for long._ Weariness washed over her, and she took a seat in the nearest chair.

A while—two or three hours, Kazuko thought—a young man brought her soup and bread. He introduced himself in Japanese as Hirata. Kazuko thanked him, but when he gave her a puzzled look, she carefully pronounced her gratitude in Japanese.

She couldn't converse with him, but she appreciated his presence and the kindness in his face.

He left too soon, and Kazuko sat in her chair, alone again.

* * *

"That's what she said," Niimi insisted.

"And you believe her?" Sanada looked up from his desk.

Niimi nodded. "I believe she was born on Earth and knows it as her home. But… I wonder if she's human."

Sanada folded his hands. "What did she tell you?"

Kaoru repeated what Kazuko said.

"Hm," Sanada said. "Interesting. She won't reveal her name but gives her birthday and says she's from Earth. Are you sure she's not psychotic?"

"I'm sure." Niimi tucked her interlocutor under her arm. "I don't know why she won't tell us her real name, but she didn't lie about the rest."

"You think she's an alien?"

"Maybe. I can't swear to it, but she's… strange. Her skin is so white—and cold, and her eyes…" Niimi pushed up her glasses. "They're so bright—almost luminous."

"Doctor Sado thinks she's human," said Sanada. "Her DNA matches ours."

"With all due respect, Sir, that was the case with Melda too."

Sanada nodded. "True." He pulled up a report on his own device and slid it across the desk for Niimi to see. "I examined the wreck. They built it with the same materials we use, only better—stronger. And I found the remains of a small warp engine."

Niimi scrolled through the document. She stopped mid-page and her gaze snapped back to Sanada. "They did a warp, and something went wrong."

"Probably."

"Now they're here. He's dead, and she's alone."

Silence.

"Does… she know he didn't make it?" Sanada asked.

"No," Niimi said with a sad sigh. "Sir, is there any way for her to get back home?"

Sanada let his hands drop to the smooth desk. "None that I know of." He met Niimi's sad eyes. "She's one of us now. There's nothing more we can do for her."

* * *

That night—or, what felt like night to Kazuko—Kaoru returned with a young man who looked a little like Tadashi with his tousled brown hair and big, brown eyes. The charming smile didn't hurt either.

"This is Kodai." Kaoru gestured to the young man and stepped aside to let him take a seat opposite the table from Kazuko.

"Hi," Kazuko said.

"Hello," he replied.

"So, why are you here?" she asked him.

He tapped something on his neck, tucked just under his ear.

 _Is that…_ Kazuko saw a small device attached to his skin. _Does he have a translator?_

"I'm Kodai Susumu," he said. "And you are… Kazuko?"

"I like that name; it's pretty," she replied.

Kodai have her a questioning look but said, "Maybe you'll remember your name soon." He leaned forward and clasped his hands atop the table. "Do you recall anything about what happened?"

"A little…"

"And the young man with you?" Kodai asked.

Tears welled up in Kazuko's eyes as she remembered how he looked, twisted and broken inside their plane. She laid her head on the table. Folded arms muffled her answer, "His name is Tadashi, Daiba Tadashi."

"Who was he to you? Your brother?" Kodai said.

"Brother?" Kazuko looked up. _I don't look anything like him_. "No, we're not related, but he's… a close friend."

"Do you have any family?"

 _My parents—aunt—sister…_ She shook her head. _All that's left are my friends._ The look in Kodai's eyes sent an icy jolt through her heart. "He's–" she choked back a sob. "He's dead, isn't he?"

Kodai nodded. "Here." He held Tadashi's harmonica out to her. "This was all he had with him."

She took the little instrument and clutched it to her heart as she wiped away tears. "When will you bury him?"

"We'll make sure you can be there," Kodai assured. "If you agree to it, we'd like to send him off like one of our own—into space."

"Yes," Kazuko managed. "He'd be happy out in the sea of stars."

Kodai gave her a sad smile.

"Does Sato Kazuko suit you, or would you prefer Daiba's name?" Kaoru asked.

Her hand tightened around Tadashi's harmonica. _His father gave him this… He said it was a family heirloom. I wish I could give it back to him before… his funeral, but there's no way I can do that._ She tucked the instrument into her pocket. _I could be Tadashi's sister. Why not?_ "Daiba," she declared. "Daiba Kazuko."


	3. Chapter 3

Kazuko stood in her locked room, alone.

A narrow shelf sank into the wall beside a plain bed. She lay down and tucked her jacket and harmonica into the shelf.

Kazuko didn't sleep well. When Kaoru came in several hours later, all Kazuko had to show for her attempts were mussed hair and wrinkled clothes.

"Should I come back later?" Kaoru said as she eyed Kazuko's weary face.

"No. I'm fine." She dragged out of her bunk.

"Okay…" Kaoru pursed her lips and pushed up her glasses. "I have a few questions."

"Yeah, me too." Kazuko crossed her arms and stood straight.

"And what might they be?" Kaoru raised an eyebrow.

"First, what will happen to me?"

Kaoru let the question hang in the air for five long seconds before she said, "Didn't you understand?"

Kazuko's heart beat a little harder as suspicion curled around her stomach. "I'm not sure."

"You're a _Yamato_ crew member now. You'll return to Earth with us, and you can make a normal life for yourself."

 _That's generous—perhaps_ too _generous._ Kazuko bit her lip. "And that'll work out for me?"

Kaoru glanced at her interlocutor. "What do you want me to say? Why wouldn't it?"

Kazuko shifted and kept her eyes on Kaoru's hands. "My mother… my biological mother… She wasn't from Earth—she wasn't even human." She fingered the delicate necklace hidden beneath her shirt. "I never knew my biological father, but he was human—like you."

"What race was your mother?" Kaoru said.

Kazuko managed a bitter smile. _Tadashi's death… it was an accident. Maybe Ayano's was too, but not Mom's—not Aunt Ilana's, or that other woman's… War is awful. It mustn't begin early—It can't!_ She took a deep breath and met Kaoru's gaze. "Nobody here would recognize their name, so I won't tell it to you. I can't answer questions about the future. It'll be better that way. You shouldn't pollute the timeline."

With a frustrated frown, Kaoru nodded. "I understand.

"Can you tell me about this ship?" Kazuko changed the subject.

" _Yamato_? Are you familiar with it?" Kaoru asked.

"A little. I had a friend who loved historic ships." Kazuko relaxed a little.

"What about the planet Iscandar?"

 _Iscandar…?_ Kazuko rifled through her memory. "No, I don't recognize that name."

"Then let me tell you about it," Kaoru said.

For over two hours Kaoru related a struggle of war, planet bombs, radiation, extinction, and famine. And a menacing enemy—the Gamilons. She finished her tale by recounting _Yamato_ 's mission and left Kazuko with a warning. "Earth will be far from beautiful when you see it again."

 _Earth…_ Kazuko remembered: infertile, dusty ground, a veiled sky. _Anything would be an improvement over that…_ She unfolded her arms and clasped her hands. "You… still think everything will work out? Earth history… I know so little about it—this era, anyway."

"You'll learn." Kaoru offered a hesitant smile. "We'll see about the rest when we get back to Earth." Then she whispered, so low Kazuko almost missed it, "I hope it'll do."

"Yeah," Kazuko replied. "I guess."

"Just a few more questions," Kaoru said.

Over the next twenty minutes, Kazuko answered several queries. She listed her skills and told Kaoru what she wanted to do while she was onboard.

A tide of uncertainty rolled over her. _What will happen to me? Why can't life ever be easy?_


	4. Chapter 4

Kazuko stood beside Tadashi's coffin. He looked… peaceful in his suit—a blue one, just like she asked. If she didn't know better, Kazuko would think he was just taking a nap. _Maybe that's why it's called eternal sleep…_ She touched his face one last time, but as the rough spacesuit brushed Tadashi's skin, an ache seeped into her heart.

Kodai stood nearby, but he didn't stop her. Sadness, and a little understanding shone in his eyes.

"I remember your smile," she whispered and smoothed Tadashi's unruly hair. "Maybe you're too far away to hear me now… but to me you'll always be alive. I hope we'll all see you again."

Kodai took a step toward the casket; Kazuko nodded and stepped back.

Fifteen people clustered around the little funeral. Kazuko recognized Kaoru, Hirata, and half a dozen others. A few gave her sympathetic smiles. _They don't know Tadashi… but at least they came…_

Kodai secured the coffin lid, and the pod launched.

"I won't forget you!" she called as the silent stars accepted Tadashi's body.

A soft sigh echoed through her suit mic. She jerked toward the sound.

"Sore o mushi shimasu," said the man to her right. His clear, gray eyes and darker skin gave her pause.

 _He doesn't look Japanese._

"Watashi wa subete o rikai shite imasendeshitaga anata ga kare o aishite iru koto ga wakarimashita. (I didn't understand everything, but I know you loved him.)"

Kazuko caught the first part, "I didn't understand everything." The second was more difficult. She sifted through the sentence: "I", a negation mark, "to understand," "to keep," "to love"…

The man waited for a reply, but when she said nothing, he seemed to understand she didn't quite grasp what he was asking.

"Don't know," he struggled. "He… You love him?"

"Hai, (Yes, I do)" Kazuko said.

The man leaned closer. "Gomen'nasai, (I'm sorry)" he whispered.

"Arigato. (Thank you)"

The man didn't say another word, but as he stood nearby, Kazuko was thankful.

* * *

"Dais-ke-Shima," Kazuko pronounced. Her cheeks warmed as she said his name. The man who stood with her at Tadashi's send-off looked to have some Arab blood with his darker skin and curly black hair, but when she asked him about it, he swore he was Japanese.

Even though Kodai used his translator, Daisuke spoke in both Japanese and English. It didn't take Kazuko long to figure out Kaoru asked him to do it, so she could learn Japanese.

The first acquaintance Kazuko made was Yuki, who Kodai claimed was only a friend, but the smirk on Daisuke's face told Kazuko otherwise. Yuki's face and features mirrored Kei's—Kazuko's friend from the _Arcadia_.

 _Yamato_ 's crew included few women, and they all knew each other. Misaki Yuria, younger than Kazuko, asked for her help with the ship-board radio station. Kazuko accepted, happy to have more chances to practice her Japanese.

Once, while they set up for a broadcast, Misaki asked in English—better than Daisuke's, "What were you doing? I mean… were you on a ship before your… accident."

"I was a doctor's assistant."

"A nurse?"

Kazuko adjusted the microphone and pop filter. "Not really. I never studied medicine."

"What did you _want_ to do?" Misaki said.

"I was… a musician before."

"Why not stick with that?"

Unlike Kaoru, Misaki's kind face—free of judgment—and easy bearing made Kazuko relax. "There was a war."

Misaki's face fell. "I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about. I don't think you'd understand what happened, anyway."

* * *

Time passed, and Kazuko made friends. The pain of Tadashi's loss and her family's death still lingered, but it wasn't as potent.

Each day rolled by, but the closer they came to Earth, the more anxious Kazuko grew.

Late September came, and with it a Gamilon onslaught. Kazuko's medical training—though sparse and incomplete—landed her in the medical bay alongside Doctor Sado, Nurse Makoto Harada, Misaki, and two other women.

When Kodai burst in carrying an unconscious Yuki, Kazuko's heart hammered as Kodai never took his eyes off the woman. Doctor Sado handed his spot over to Makoto and rushed to Yuki's side.

"It's not good," Doctor Sado said after examining Yuki. "I'm sorry, Kodai."

Tears ran down Kazuko's face when she realized, _He loves her…_

The pain on Kodai's face rattled Kazuko, and as soon as the crisis ended, she left the medical bay.

As she wandered through the halls, hands folded, eyes down, she took a turn into the observation bubble.

"Kazuko?"

"Daisuke?" She froze. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you'd be here."

"It's all right."

Kazuko relaxed and stood beside him at the rail. "What—what happened? I don't understand! Why did they attack us? Isn't the war over?"

Daisuke's brow furrowed, and he laid a steady hand on her shoulder.

She burst into tears, and to her surprise, he pulled her close. Still crying, she laid her head on his chest. The steady beat of his heart lent her some comfort. Tadashi's heart sounded just like this, even and strong.

She dried her tears and pulled back. Daisuke's eyes… the gray of summer rain clouds, fell on her as his face neared hers. When their lips met, a spark of surprise surged though her, but then she leaned in, content.

It wasn't a long kiss, but when it broke Kazuko was breathless.

Daisuke's warm embrace surrounded her again, and she didn't resist.

How long they stayed there, Kazuko didn't know, but when the door hissed open and she saw Misaki's startled face, she pulled away and hid her flushed cheeks.


	5. Chapter 5

"Do you love him?" said Misaki as she and Kazuko sat at a small table outside the studio's broadcast room.

Kazuko's brush pen formed "dai" in her calligraphy practice notebook. The character didn't look right, so she tried again. "I don't know…" She attempted the more complicated "suke," but the intricate lines required a hand more adept than hers. _Japanese is so much easier to speak than to write._

"Do you think he loves you?"

"What are you saying?" Kazuko gripped her pen hard as Misaki leaned closer.

"You looked good together."

Kazuko twirled her pen in her fingers.

"You're beautiful. He can't help but notice that."

Kazuko smiled and blushed at the compliment. For just an instant she considered telling Misaki about the Mazone—the plantlike race of shape-takers who invaded Earth back in her own time—so Misaki could understand why beauty was not necessarily a good thing. But she didn't. "I… was just so sad after I saw Kodai and Yuki…"

"Sad for him? Or her? I saw your brother. He looked like officer Kodai—except for the blond hair."

"I knew a woman…" Kazuko studied her page of botched characters. "Her name is… was… also Yuki, but it was her surname. Her first name was Kei."

"Did she look like officer Mori?"

Kazuko nodded. The weight of Tadashi's harmonica in her pocket sparked a memory—the day her adoptive mother gave her the necklace that used to belong to another woman—the one whose features she shared. Kazuko fingered a strand of her shoulder-length blue-black hair. "Time and life are strange things, Misaki…"

* * *

Earth. Barren, red. _This… is home?_ Kazuko stared out the viewport.

"I'm sorry," Kaoru said from nearby. "I probably didn't prepare you for this very well. Come with me. I want to show you something."

Kazuko followed. She took mental notes, reviewing what she knew of each section they passed. Midday traffic proved problematic, and it took almost twenty minutes to reach their destination.

Kaoru nodded toward what looked like an engine. "The Cosmo Reverser System."

"You got that on Iscandar?" Kazuko said.

"Your Japanese keeps getting better every day." Kaoru smiled. "And yes. With it we'll regenerate Earth."

A glowing orb hovered at the alien machine's center. _I've never seen anything like this…_ She stared at the orb. Its soft, blue radiance cast a veil of serenity over her.

"Do you get sad sometimes—I mean, about losing everyone you know?" Kaoru said.

"Sometimes," Kazuko replied.

"You think that pain will ever go away?"

"I don't know. Will you ever stop mourning the ones _you've_ lost?"

"No," Kaoru admitted. After a ten second stretch of silence she asked, "Will you ever… be happy again?

"I hope I will." Kazuko pictured Daisuke's handsome face. His kindness and a wonderful sense of humor intrigued her. _But that's not enough to base a relationship on…_ Her stomach tightened at the thought of using the word "love" to describe what she had with Daisuke. "Why are you asking me this?"

"I—are you—Are you anxious about the future?" Kaoru stumbled.

"Sometimes. You?"

Kaoru hesitated, folded her arms and stared at the CRS core. Its light reflected off her glasses. "Maybe I am."

* * *

Two days later, Daisuke approached her in the mess hall, an invitation for Makoto Harada's and Saburo Kato's wedding in hand. Kazuko smiled at the card. The cartoonish figures drawn on the front reflected a grouchy Saburo and smiling Makoto.

"Susumu—Kodai—gave me this. Apparently, Kato and Makoto have been pretty serious for a while." Daisuke flipped open the card. "Do you… know anything else about Yuki's condition?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Susumu's my friend, and he's been… strange lately." Daisuke looked up from the card.

Kazuko relaxed a little. "I'm sorry. I don't know any more than you do. Doctor Sado won't tell me anything about Yuki. I've asked."

"Okay." He held up the invitation. "Do you… want to come with me to the wedding?"

"Daisuke, I…" She wanted to say "yes," but the right words eluded her. "I… need to think about it."

"I understand." He tucked the card into his pocket and started to walk away but after five steps he stopped. "What if you came with me… just as a friend?"

She blushed. "All right… I'll come with you."

The day of the wedding, Kazuko accompanied Daisuke in her orange ship's uniform. She wished she had one of her dresses to wear, but everyone else was in uniform too except the couple, so she didn't feel as awkward.

During the reception Kodai offered congratulations to the newlyweds as they stood on the short platform at the front of the room.

Saburo lowered his gaze as Kodai approached. "Do you remember when we were assigned to the _Yamato_?" said Saburo. "Back then, I said this to you… That if your orders caused one of my men to die needlessly, I'd never forgive you. Well… You've done better than I could have hoped. Better than anyone. I guarantee that." He gave Kodai a confident smile. "So, Mori will be fine!"

Makoto grabbed her husband's arm. "Sabu!"

Kodai's expression didn't falter as he whispered one more sentence to the pair before leaving the platform. As he approached Kazuko and Daisuke he smiled, but the pain in his eyes was clear.

"I'm happy for you," Kodai said.

Kazuko smiled back and shook her head. "We aren't a couple."

"Maybe you should be." The ache in his face remained, along with a spark of envy for Daisuke, but he refused to express it.

Kazuko wanted to bring up Yuki's condition, but she couldn't do that now—not when Kodai was trying so hard to get through this wedding.

Kodai headed for the door and saluted a few people along the way.

"You think he's going to see her?" Kazuko said.

"Could be." Daisuke watched downcast as his friend left.

* * *

Several hours after the wedding, everyone crowded around the viewports as _Yamato_ neared Earth. On the bridge, Kazuko stood beside Daisuke. As more people filed in, she studied the barren, red husk of a world and wondered where Kaoru was watching from.

A surprised cry from Aihara—the comm officer—startled her, and she peeked over Daisuke's shoulder.

Just inside the door, in Kodai's arms, was Yuki, alive and well. Kodai set her down, and Misaki wailed and engulfed her in a hug. Yasuo Nanbu—another officer—greeted her enthusiastically, which made Yuki a bit uncomfortable.

Daisuke shuffled through the crowd to welcome Yuki back, and Akira Yamamoto did the same, though more formally than Daisuke. The two women's past tensions lent a sliver of awkwardness, but Yuki's smile held no hint of animosity.

Kazuko didn't know what she should do. She wasn't well acquainted with Yuki, but she was glad the woman was doing well, for Kodai's sake.

Daisuke returned to Kazuko's side. She took his arm and smiled up at him.

He leaned toward her. "You're part of this family. You were ever since the day we named you," his soft voice whispered.

 _Yes… I am._ She laid her head against Daisuke's arm. _Just like my name says, I've got a new family._


	6. Chapter 6

To Kazuko, the underground city was huge. But despite its size, she still felt confined without the sun's warm touch.

Daisuke chuckled. "It's funny to see a tourist's reaction to this place."

"Immigrant," she corrected with a grin as she stood at the top of the boarding ramp. "At least, hopefully." Her face fell. _I couldn't leave even if I wanted to… Everyone else has a family to go home to, but I–_ She sighed. "You should get back to your mother and little brother," Kazuko said. "Sanada's telling everyone _Yamato_ 's returned, so there's no reason for you to stay aboard."

"But I–"

"Go," Kazuko insisted.

"All right," Daisuke said. "I'll see you again soon."

She waved as he caught a ride to his family's apartment building. When he was out of sight, she retreated to Daisuke's quarters—he'd given her his passcode, so she could come and go as she pleased. With a sigh, she flopped into the single chair and turned on the newscast. Out in the hall she heard Kodai tell Yuki he'd see her at her mentor's—Hijikata's—place.

Two hours passed, and Kazuko almost fell asleep, but just as she drifted off, the door hissed open. "Kaoru!" she started awake.

"I just wanted to make sure everything's going well," said the other woman. "And take you to the lab so we can start your evaluation."

Kazuko smiled despite the anxious knot in her stomach. "I don't mean to be any trouble."

"Don't worry about that," Kaoru said. "I'm here to help you, not the evaluation committee." She motioned for Kazuko to follow her.

Each exam mirrored the tests Dr. Sado ran upon her arrival aboard _Yamato._ They checked her blood, tested for diseases, and ran scans, but that was all. She heard Kaoru scold one of the committee members who suggested more invasive tests, and though she couldn't thank the other woman, she was grateful.

When it was over, she sat with Kaoru outside a conference room, waiting. "Could they really forbid me to stay on Earth?"

"I suppose they could, in theory, but that would be absurd," said Kaoru.

A man entered the tiny waiting area. He wore the same unfamiliar uniform she'd glimpsed the rest of the committee members wearing.

"Come in, please," he said to Kazuko. "We will begin the interview."

Kaoru caught her arm. "Just be honest. Even if they ask the same question more than once."

Kazuko nodded and then followed the man inside, Kaoru right behind her.

Everyone took a seat except Kazuko, who stood in the center of the room as all four committee members stared at her.

"What is your name?" the man to Kazuko's right asked.

"Daiba Kazuko."

"Is that your birth name?"

Kazuko met the man's gaze. "No. Daiba is my brother's name, and Kazuko is the name given to me by _Yamato_ 's crew."

"Where were you born and when?"

"May 11th, 2961, in Tokyo, Japan."

"How old are you?"

"My nineteenth birthday was six months ago, Earth time."

"Do you have any family? Do you miss them?"

 _Of course, I miss them. What kind of question is that? Who_ hasn't _lost a friend or family member?_ Kazuko took a deep breath. "My mother… died soon after I was born. Then I was adopted, but my adoptive parents… are gone too."

"Any siblings?"

"Yes. I have—had—a sister. She is—was—my cousin, but I think of her as my sister because I loved her like one, and we were raised together. Her name was Ayano… She died a few weeks ago—just before my arrival. She was sick and… didn't survive her illness. My brother, Tadashi, passed away aboard _Yamato_." She caught a glimpse of Kaoru's approving nod.

"Did you know of any alien races in your own time?" the man to her left asked.

"Yes, but I can't talk about them," she said. "It… isn't a good idea."

"And what about you?" said the only woman in the group.

"What do you mean?"

"Your blood contains unknown elements," the woman said.

Kazuko sucked in a hard breath, looked straight at the woman, and repeated what she'd told Kaoru upon her arrival. "My mother wasn't born on Earth—I'm actually not sure where she was born, and even if I knew, I couldn't tell you. All I know about my father is he was human."

The woman averted her gaze. "Do _you_ consider yourself human, Kazuko?"

"Only half," she said. Aboard _Arcadia_ she learned to accept her identity, but it was still odd to say it.

"So, would you define yourself as more like your mother? Or your father?"

Kazuko smiled a little. _It's been so long since I thought about Abigaël and Jason, but I owe them so much… They raised me as their own daughter, even if I wasn't._ She stood a little taller. "I prefer to identify with my adoptive parents. I'm human, like they were."

The questioner watched her colleagues for a few seconds. When no one said anything, she told Kaoru, "That is all. You may leave now."

Once out of the conference room, Kazuko relaxed.

"Where will you stay now?" Kaoru said as they headed toward the crew quarters.

"I… suppose I'll live with Daisuke."

"Why Daisu–Oh."

Heat crept up Kazuko's face. "Because…"

"No, no, you don't have to justify anything to me." Kaoru waved off the attempted explanation. "It's cute."

Kazuko shoved her hands in her jacket pockets and focused on the floor. "I thought you didn't like me very much. Why do you keep helping me?"

Kaoru sighed. "I know I'm not the friendliest person, but I don't hate you—not at all." She hesitated. "I… have to be honest too. I understand why you won't say much about where you came from, but part of me wonders how much we could learn if you _did_."

Kazuko fingered her harmonica. _I understand, Kaoru… but I can't. I'm sorry…_ She wanted to speak, apologize to Kaoru, but the words wouldn't come.

"I guess it's one of my flaws," Kaoru continued. "I did it with the Gamilons too—dehumanized them." She sighed again, regret in her eyes. "You should call Daisuke. He'll worry."

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

 _A short note to clarify Kazuko's family ties: Her mother's name is Alizé Seldon (an alien). Kazuko was adopted by Abigaël Lehmann and her husband, Jason Callaghan because they couldn't have children of their own. Kazuko's aunt Ilana was Alizé's sister who married Sasori and had a daughter, Ayano. Ilana wanted to adopt Kazuko (her niece), but she couldn't._


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's Note:_

 _In SBY 2199, Yamato returned to Earth on December 8th. The first party in this story occurs on December 15th, and the second on December 25th._

* * *

A week after her interview—interrogation as she'd dubbed it—Kazuko received her official birth certificate, written in Kanji and English.

Daiba, Kazuko

Born May 11th, 2180

A pale-yellow sticky note in Sanada's slanted print read, "You were aboard _Yamato_ with us. The world doesn't need to know who you are."

She grinned as she read her birth certificate again, but Sanada's note triggered a pang of homesickness.

"You all right?" said Daisuke. He tapped the document. "What's that?"

Kazuko hid her sadness with a smile and tagged Sanada's note to the back of the paper before she displayed it to Daisuke.

"This is great!" He wrapped her in a hug. "She got citizenship!" he announced to Kodai who, at his friend's exclamation, nearly fell off the short ladder he stood atop.

Kazuko snorted as Yuki kept Kodai from toppling over. Balanced on one foot, he tacked up another string of old Christmas lights. "That's great, Kazuko," he said. "Congratulations."

"We should celebrate," Daisuke said.

Kazuko drew back.

"Sorry… You don't like that idea…" Daisuke sighed.

"No! I do like it. I was just… surprised."

Daisuke's face lit.

Half an hour later, the four sat around Daisuke's tiny apartment's table. A red and green tablecloth draped it and some tinsel decorated a simple centerpiece.

Japan celebrated the New Year with more family than Christmas, but this little party served well for both occasions.

Their meal was ordinary—nothing worth speaking of—but there was a cupcake waiting for each of them once they'd finished.

Kazuko wiped the crumbs from her mouth mid-meal as Kodai said, "Yuki has some great news."

"Isn't it a little early for your first child?" Daisuke quipped.

Kazuko snorted and coughed as she choked her sip of water down the wrong way.

Yuki looked a little offended but gave in to everyone else's lightheartedness. "It's about the decontamination," she said with a smile. "Everyone can leave the underground cities sooner than planned."

Kazuko's heart beat a little faster.

Yuki squeezed Kodai's hand and said through unshed tears, "We're going back to the surface!"

* * *

The announcement spread faster than the news of _Yamato_ 's return. So many doubted they would ever see the sun again. Kazuko often wondered the same, and she knew others thought they would die trapped underground, hopeless.

One night, when neither of them could sleep, Daisuke whispered to her, "Everyone's so happy to be leaving this place." He gave her a kiss and smile before pulling her close.

Kazuko wished he wasn't so… measured.

Kodai rolled over in the bed below them and snored.

Kazuko blushed and wondered when they would have the chance to live on their own, without having to dodge someone else's life while they lived theirs. She sighed and huddled closer to Daisuke as she fell asleep.

* * *

Kazuko dried her sweaty hands on the bottom of her dark blouse for the fifth—or was it a sixth—time? The elevator chimed with every floor it passed. She took out her compact again and gave her face and hair one more thorough check before she got to the bottom floor. She studied her hair—plaited perfectly—and the worry lines on her face didn't show too much.

She put the mirror away. Her jeans tucked into her leather boots—one of the few things she still had from _Arcadia_ 's time — and she made sure her blouse hung over the blush pink belt she'd borrowed from Yuki. She preferred black, but Yuki didn't own one that color and she hadn't had the chance to ask anyone else.

Alizé's necklace hung around her neck and Tadashi's harmonica, which she never let out of her possession, lay in her handbag.

"Stop worrying." Daisuke flicked a loose strand of hair out of her face. "Mom will adore you."

Kazuko nodded, too nervous to say anything.

Daisuke knocked on the apartment door and Kazuko's heart pounded as his little brother—maybe eight or nine years old—answered it.

Daisuke raised waiting arms, and the boy jumped into them with a happy laugh. "Big brother!"

Daisuke whirled the boy in the air then knelt beside him and titled his head toward her. "Jiro, I present Daiba Kazuko."

"Your sweetheart?" Jiro teased with a grin.

Daisuke blushed. "Yes, she is." He turned to her. "Kazuko, Jiro."

She smiled at the boy as he nodded a greeting.

A dark-haired woman, a little tired, but quite happy, embraced Daisuke, then hugged Kazuko like she'd known her all her life. The gesture reminded Kazuko of Ilana. She faltered but held on to her smile and pushed away the memory.

"I'm Saori," the woman said. "You must be Kazuko?"

She nodded.

"Please, come in."

All four of them crowded into the tiny apartment. _How did the three of them live here? It's like a shoe-box._

The set table was neat, and Kazuko admired Saori's efforts to fill it. There was even a wine bottle set near the center of the table.

"Their father gave me this." Saori picked up the wine. "Before the rationing started. He… went out to fight at the first Gamilon appearance. He bought this not long after Daisuke was born. He intended to open it upon his return…"

The room fell silent.

"But I can't think of a better occasion than right now." Saori smiled but couldn't hide the deep sadness in her eyes. "Please, sit." She offered Kazuko the best of the four chairs. "Would you like some wine?"

"Oh… yes, thank you," she said and stared uncomfortably at the drink, but took a sip and discovered it wasn't as sharp as she'd expected.

"I wanna try some too!" Jiro insisted.

"This is for adults, dear. You won't like it," his mother warned.

"Yes, I will," Jiro said.

Saori gave in and poured a small sip into her own glass. "Here."

Jiro took a tiny taste. "Blech!" He handed it back. "Water, please."

Kazuko bit back a laugh at the child's exaggerated disgust. Through the rest of the meal, she opted to listen rather than talk. As the outsider, she didn't feel right intruding into the conversation too much.

"Where are you from?" Jiro's question caught Kazuko off guard. "You don't talk like us. If you're from another country, how'd you get aboard _Yamato_?"

Kazuko hesitated. Truth? Or lie?

Daisuke stiffened and stared at his plate.

"My mother was… German. And Dad was Irish. I was born here and raised in Germany. When the bombings started, we moved back—before commercial flights got suspended."

Daisuke relaxed and took another bite of his dinner.

"Are they soldiers?" Saori propped her chopsticks on her plate.

"No… But they… died…" Vivid memories of that terrible day came back. _I'm lucky to be alive. But I can't think about that—or the Mazone—not right now._ She touched her necklace out of instinct.

"Do you have any siblings? Or were you an only child?" said Saori.

Kazuko stopped, chopsticks poised two inches off her plate. "Oh! No, I'm not an only child," she answered a little too loudly. She glanced from Jiro to Daisuke. "My brother and sister… they're gone too, but I won't ever forget them."

Saori covered her mouth. "I'm so sorry, dear. I didn't realize…" She took another bite of her dinner as the room fell silent. Saori blushed a little. "I didn't dare to ask before, but, how did you two meet?"

Through the rest of the meal Daisuke told how their relationship began—how they hadn't spoken to one another until Tadashi's death. He related Kazuko's friendships with Yuki, then Kodai, and then him, but he left out the time travel part.

"Come into the living room," Saori said as she finished cleaning up the dishes.

Kazuko followed Daisuke and a radiant Jiro. In the corner stood an artificial fir, surrounded by a few colorfully wrapped presents. Saori handed one to Jiro and another to Daisuke. To Kazuko's surprise, she gave her one too.

 _I should have brought something for them._ She undid each wrapped corner without tearing the paper. Under the box lid she found a dozen colorful hair clips, decorated with sparkling faux jewels.

"I haven't used them in a long time," Saori said. "I thought you might like them."

"Yes! Thank you so much." Kazuko smiled at the woman's thoughtfulness as Daisuke and Jiro held up similar trinkets and grinned.

When Kazuko checked the time again, it was eleven o'clock.

"Get to bed, Jiro," Saori said.

"But I'm not tired," he yawned as his eyes drooped.

"Go on," his mother shooed him. "You have school tomorrow."

"Christmas should never be on Wednesday," Jiro protested as he dragged out of the living room and down the short hall to his tiny bedroom.

"Why don't you two stay over tonight? It's late. You can drive back in the morning. I still have Daisuke's old room put together. And you can borrow some of my clothes." She left and returned with folded green pajamas. Kazuko took them and nodded.

"Thanks, Mom. Good night."

"Good night, dear."

Daisuke took Kazuko's hand and led her to his old room.

She stared at the posters and decorations sporting unfamiliar cartoon characters.

"I was a kid when we moved in here," he said sheepishly. "I thought Mom would have taken all this down by now."

"Not laughing," she said. "Want to know what _my_ room looked like?"

"What?"

"I hadn't changed it since I was eight. The walls were bright candy pink, just like I insisted."

"Still like pink?"

"No," she chuckled. "I wanted to change it…" Her face fell. "But that never happened."

Daisuke laid a warm hand on her arm. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." She shook her head. "I knew I'd never go back there. I accepted that a long time ago." _Guess that's no different from anyone else around here—not being able to get back to the homes they loved._ The clock near the door read eleven twenty. "You ready to go to sleep? I know I am."

Daisuke nodded and headed for the bathroom, pajama pants under his arm. When he came back, she was already tucked in. He slid under the covers beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist. His warmth dulled the room's chill, and she fell asleep to the sound of his heart.

 _I'm glad you're with me… Daisuke._

* * *

Kazuko woke a little after eight and got up. She could never get back to sleep once she was awake. Daisuke still slept. She let him. Wonder what he's dreaming about. The look of peace on his face made her smile. _He seems happy at least._

She tiptoed out of the room to find Jiro at the table. He chewed a nutrient bar as old cartoons played on a small tablet. When she came in, he took out his wireless earbuds.

"Sleep okay?" she said.

Jiro nodded. "You want some breakfast?" He offered her a bar.

"Thanks. Shouldn't you be at school?"

"Nah. We start later now that everyone's moving out. Most of the teachers left already." He closed his video app. "What's a real breakfast like?" he asked through another mouthful.

"You—you don't remember?"

Jiro shook his head.

Her throat grew tight. _What else must he not know…? How much did these people lose during that awful war?_ "It's… like any other food, I suppose," she said as she thought back to the many meals she'd shared with her adoptive parents.

"You excited to leave the underground cities?" Jiro said.

"Of course!"

"Will you live with Daisuke?"

"Probably."

"Not going back to Germany?"

She shuffled a little farther from the boy and eyed her nutrient bar. "No. I'm Japanese now."

"What did your home city look like?"

Kazuko took a moment. _First bombardment was eight years ago… so that would make me eleven._ "It was beautiful. I remember old buildings and green parks."

"What else?" Jiro's eyes brightened.

"My uncle… uh… Franz let me babysit his daughter, and sometimes he took us to my favorite park. It was like walking into another world—like you see in pictures sometimes." _Well, Uncle Franz, you look a lot like Harlock. But you could be German, I guess. And there_ are _gardens inside Death Shadow Island._

Jiro handed her his tablet. "Show me!"

Kazuko took the device. _Germany—Germany._ She found a website with a few pictures of old Germany and showed them to Jiro.

"Is he still alive, uh, Fu-rla-un-su?" He scrolled through the pictures in awe.

"Franz," she corrected. _Of course, he can't pronounce German well. Should have picked something else._ "I… believe he's dead."

"Oh…" Jiro didn't flinch at her answer.

 _What kind of world is it when death doesn't surprise children…? This kid deserves the chance to see something more than this dismal place. I wish he could experience it all right now._ "Here. Let me see if I can find some pictures of old Japan."

"Really?" Jiro handed her his tablet again. "Sure!"


End file.
